There is concern among several travelers about to fly to Cuba as the island has been plunged into complete darkness since Friday after a major power outage.
• Also read: General blackout: Cubans are desperate
• Also read: Cuba completely without electricity, 10 million inhabitants in the dark
Customers boarding the four planes departing Montreal on Saturday bound for Cuba are regretting not getting word from their airline or travel agent.
“We haven’t heard anything from the travel agency. No news,” said the traveler.
The crisis was caused by the complete shutdown of the country’s main power plant due to a lack of fuel. The outage led to a network collapse.
Photo by AFP
Some hotels don’t have electricity, says a man who expects to sleep in the dark when he arrives in Cuba.
“I bring a lot of food to help people there. I have a full suitcase. I am especially worried about my food,” he said TVA news.
Emergency solutions
Most hotels and hospitals in the country are equipped with generators, according to Air Transat.
The company said “the situation in Cuba remains similar to that of Friday evening.”
TVA News screenshot
“According to the Cuban authorities, the majority of operations are scheduled to resume during the day,” Air Transat added in an exchange with TVA news.
Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Coco and Cayo Largo all have electricity, according to Sunwing. Electricity has been restored to Cienfuegos.
“In Havana, Varadero and Holguin, the Cuban authorities are working to gradually restore electricity to the first hotels. At the other facilities, hotel services remain available and the complexes are running on generators,” Sunwing said.
Sunwing customers can change their departure date until October 25. They can also choose a different destination, in which case they will be offered travel vouchers to offset the cost of their tickets if they cost more than what was originally purchased. If they decide to cancel their trip, they can get a refund for their tickets.
TVA News screenshot
However, Sunwing advises that passengers who choose to depart on the scheduled date will not be offered any refund or compensation if they are affected by a power outage after arrival.
Watch the full explanation in the video above.
